Flipped: The Secret of the Shadow Tokens book I
by ThePro-LifeCatholic
Summary: Written because I wanted a story on here that wasn't about yaoi or girlfriends. In this first book, a stranger by the name of "Los" appears, claiming to be summoned by Garmadon via a "disk" with strange powers. However, under the impression of "loyalty" to Garmadon, his "master", Los begins a chain of events that could destroy the Ninja forever, from the inside out.
1. Why Write This Story, Anyway?

**PlatyborgstoShadowlytes:**** Yep. Here I am. I never pictured myself doing this, actually, but I was making up a great story, and now it's coming out. Like I said, I wasn't going to do this because I was honestly a bit embarrassed about it. I mean, a 14-year-old girl (turning 15 in a month) who isn't into legos at all, and yet still enjoys plopping down in front of a computer and watching episode after episode of **_**Ninjago**_**? How weird can I get? (rhetorical question)**

**Anyhoo, the reasoning behind this: I'm sick and tired of all the yaio stories. I'm sorry if I just offended anyone with this comment, but it's the truth and I'm titled to my own opinions, which is that I'm sick and tired of the yaoi and OC pairings that are done with the Ninja. It's not that I don't like OC pairings (I have a few P&F ones myself), but just not with these guys. I made me want to type up this story that I'm making up (it's still in progress) because I felt that, in my story, I was keeping the characters and their personalities, and I for one would really like to read a story now and then that is at least mostly in line with the original stuff in the show.**

**In this story (and the ones that are probably coming after it), it is at a time when Garmadon is still in possession of the Megaweapon, and Lloyd is probably an adult. Like many other stories listed here, I didn't do this in line with any of the other episodes (I haven't even seen all the episodes yet).**

**This is my first Ninjago fanfiction work so constructive criticism is welcome. No flaming or slamming without giving any real reason for doing so, please.**

**Really quickly, I'd like to give the inspiration behind this fic (and the ones that may come afterwards):**

**Well, Zane is my favorite character.**

**And after I learned that he was a robot (or, as Jay prefers to call him, a "Nindroid"),**

**I wondered what would happen if the enemy found out about him being a robot and then flicked his memory switch.**

**That way, he wouldn't remember anything and therefore think that he was working for the enemy.**

**This does contain an OC of mine (only one, though), but it is not a girl to fall in love with the Ninja, or another Ninja, it is an enemy.**

**And it is seeking to destroy the Ninja and reach its full power so that way it can take control of the world and corrupt it with evil.**

**I will now bring you (as soon as I can get the first chapter typed up)**

_**Flipped: Secret of the Shadow Tokens**_

_**Book I**_


	2. Chapter 1: Ultimately Untimely

**PlatyborgstoShadowlytes:**** Here is the first chapter! Thanks to all those who have already read and reviewed (despite the fact that the story hasn't even started yet); it is much appreciated!**

**And now, onto the tale!**

**Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. . .this seems more like a prelude than an actual chapter. . .**

**(shrugs)**

**Oh well!**

**(Third Person POV)**

Garmadon paced back and forth. Skales watched him, the look in his eyes and expression almost seemed to shout "F-A-I-L-U-R-E" at him. Failure. That's what Garmadon's career consisted of these days. The Megaweapon had done powerful things, yet it had not brought him success. All it had really accomplished so far was in making him completely powerless for extensive amounts of time. And the outcome? The ninja getting stronger, the day of the prophesied battle between him and his son looming ever closer; that was the outcome. Skales cleared his throat, breaking into Garmadon's thoughts.

"Ssssssir," hissed the general of the Hypnobrai, "Thisss ssstrategy of yourss, it hassn't been doing much good. What iss the sensssse in continuing in thisss manner? It hassn't been doing anything to improve your own posssition. If anything, it'ss making matterss for uss here worssse."

"I know," Garmadon snapped, wheeling on Skales. "But I don't know what else to do." He stepped outside, hoping that this would help to clear his thoughts. Not a star pierced the inky blackness of the night, and no moon could be seen. These were nights that Garmadon liked best; the total darkness that surrounded him made him feel less empty on the inside. He looked up into the dark sky, then at the weapon clenched in all four of his fists.

"Weapon," he whispered, as if it were a living thing, "Weapon, tell me. Tell me this: how do I defeat the ninja? What is the thing that you can create which will be their certain downfall?" He waited for a moment, half expecting some great sign to appear. Nothing. Nothing but the dark night and empty sky. His temper was growing short; he felt like a fool standing out there in the night, with the hopes of a weapon magically granting his every wish. He decided, however, to try once more.

"Great Weapon," he started, his voice increasing in volume, "create for me an enemy of the Ninja; an enemy so great that not even their combined forces could destroy it! Make me a creature so powerful that I will never have to worry about the Ninja overthrowing me ever again!" The last sentence ended in a loud shout, and the Serpentine inside of the fort looked up with some alarm. Skales slithered to the entrance and looked out.

"Sssir?" he questioned. Skales saw a sight that was for him not uncommon. It was Garmadon throwing down the Megaweapon and turning away from it in disgust. Of course, the difference in this situation was that Garmadon got angry with the Weapon _after_ it had created something and that thing failed to defeat the Ninja. Garmadon stalked from the fort, walking out into the cold night of the desert. Skales watched him, but knew better than to say anything. He wouldn't want to get shouted at-

Skales looked down at the Megaweapon lying in front of him; it looked dull in the small amount of light which streamed out from inside the fort. Skales bent over and picked it up. He knew what Garmadon had said: only _he_ could manage the Weapon. If any of the Serpentine tried it, even one of the generals, it would be foolhardy and certain doom. It was heavy, and Skales examined it closely. It was hard to believe that this one great Weapon used to four different ones. He slid forwards a few inches. Skales looked around in alarm. He hadn't moved, had he? He hadn't been the one moving; that is, he wasn't the one trying to move. The Weapon in his hands began to vibrate. At first, Skales could hardly feel the Weapon moving. But the vibrating became stronger; the Megaweapon began to shake. Skales, like any other sensible person (or snake), immediately released his hold on it. At least, that's what he wanted to do. But to his shock, Skales found that he simply couldn't. His hands seemed to be glued to the Weapon, and even worse, he began moving again. It was only a few more inches, and then the Weapon stopped shaking. It lay in his hands as if nothing had happened. Skales got ready to breathe a sigh of relief.

A sudden jerk. He went sprawling forward in the sand. The Megaweapon was dragging him through the sand with a vicious force. It must have made a strange image: a large snake, lying face-down in the sand, being dragged around the desert by a Weapon completely constructed of gold.

A mailman delivering a late-night package started in surprise as Skales rushed past him.

Garmadon was through. His patience completely depleted, he just had to get away. Get away from the Serpentine, the Weapon, the Ninja, himself.

_Become one with the night. Forget everything else. Blend with the shadows. Forget your fears and worries._

Hearing a strangled cry from behind him, Garmadon slowed and turned around.

_What in the name of. . .?!_

First the weapon, then Skales swept by him. Garmadon caught the end of Skales tail, and the two slid across the sand, going who-knows-where.

"What. . ." Garmadon spat out a mouthful of sand before continuing. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT DEVOURER DID YOU DO?!" Poor Skales was doing his best to answer.

"Forgive me. . .(cough). . .I didn't know that thisss. . .(spitting out sand). . . all I did was pick it up. . .(more coughing and spitting)"

It was right about this time that the Weapon stopped. Completely halted. Garmadon went flying, and Skales rolled over, taking in deep breaths of the night air. Garmadon sat up, rubbing his head and readjusting his helmet. Skales released the Megaweapon and got up. After the two had dusted themselves off, they turned and looked at the Weapon. The end was stuck in the ground. Garmadon reached over and, grabbing hold of it, began to yank and pull with all his might. He turned and looked at Skales.

"Don't just stand there, you fool!" he exclaimed angrily. "You come over here and help me!" Skales slithered forward immediately, and the two yanked. With a sudden scraping sound, the Weapon came out of the ground, and the two fell over onto their backs. Garmadon sat up, and examined the Weapon.

"Nothing's broken," he muttered, "but, wait. . ." he stopped in mid-sentence, looking closely at the end. Skales leaned forward.

"What?"

Garmadon turned the Weapon around so that the end faced him, and began to pull on the end. Skales watched him, wondering what he was doing. Garmadon slid something off of the end, and peered at it. Skales also looked. It was a flat disk, small and covered in intricate designs and engravings.

"What isss it?" Skales whispered.

"I don't know," Garmadon answered, still examining it, "but the Megaweapon brought us to it, which can mean only one thing." He stood up and started back in the direction of the fort. Skales hurried along behind.

"And that isss. . .?" Garmadon turned and looked at Skales.

"It means," he said with a smile, "that we have found the ultimate defeat of the Ninja."

**Author's Note: Yea, I have no idea where Garmadon and the Serpentine would be staying. :P**


	3. Chapter 2: Los

**PlatyborgstoShadowlytes:**** Last week was such a bad week to start a new story. I had to work really hard on school because of a fair this past weekend. I'd like to thank everyone for patiently waiting.**

**The end of the year is always the busiest time for my family, so don't expect a whole lot of progress to be going on.**

**(Third Person POV)**

Skales, due to using the Megaweapon, was extremely tired and decided to retire early. He slithered off to his sleeping quarters without another glance at the Megaweapon. Garmadon was certain that Skales would never even _think_ about using the Weapon after all of this.

Garmadon himself went to his room; he wished to inspect the strange disk that the Weapon had unearthed. This was a strange turn of events; the Megaweapon only created, right? But Garmadon was certain that the Weapon did not create this disk. It was. . .abnormal.

Walking into his bedroom, Garmadon place the Megaweapon in the corner of the room; the one closest to his bed. Who knew what may threaten him in the night. Garmadon didn't trust anyone or anything to get too close; how else did people think that he had managed to stay alive all of these years? He then walked over to the small table set in the middle of the room, and, after clearing it of papers, set the disk in the center of the desk.

The disk was covered with sand and cracks. As Garmadon worked to brush the sand off of its surface, he realized that all of the "cracks" were in fact grooves and engravings. The entire disk was decorated. Garmadon turned the disk over, examining the back as well as the front. Peering closer to the back, Garmadon reached over and lit a candle. Bringing it closer to the disk, Garmadon bent over, trying to see what was on the back. Three letters had been carved into the face of the disk: "L", "O", and "S".

"L, O, S," he muttered. "LOS."

The candle flickered; it shook as if a strong wind had blown into the room. Garmadon looked up quickly, but no one had opened the door. The candle quivered, shook, dimmed. Garmadon watched the candle's strange behavior in amazement. The candle's flame was suddenly extinguished, as if put out by an unseen hand. The whole room was cast into complete darkness. Garmadon stood, and looked around, wary for an attack. Everything was completely silent; Garmadon could not even hear any of the noises that had been going on outside of his door. Something lit up the dark room, and Garmadon looked around to see what it was. He looked down; it was the disk.

It was glowing with an eerie light, and the three letters seemed very noticeable in comparison to the other decorations. Garmadon dropped the disk onto the desk, and it sat there for a few seconds. What happened next took Garmadon completely off-guard. The disk began to spin. Slowly at first, then gaining speed; it became a blur, spinning faster and faster. And yet it did not make a single sound. The disk spun, twirled, and fell off the desk. Garmadon jumped back, but the disk had stopped. It had stopped spinning, as well as glowing. Everything was silent once more. Garmadon approached the disk, and bent over to pick it up. Aware of another presence in the room, Garmadon straighten.

It was a man, dressed completely in black. He had a black scarf tied about his head, leaving only his eyes and a bit of his mouth uncovered. His raven-black hair stuck up, and his black-gloved hands were folded in front of him. But what made Garmadon stare was the newcomer's eyes.

The eyes were empty; completely devoid of any feelings whatsoever. They were constantly shifting, as well; the man never looked at one thing longer than a few moments. His eyes kept darting to Garmadon and the Megaweapon in the corner. Then he bowed.

"Lord Garmadon, I presume?" Even the man's voice was hollow, empty. Garmadon stared.

"Who. . .who are you? _What_ are you? How do you know my name?" The man looked right into Garmadon's eyes, and then turned away.

"I always know the names of those who call me." Garmadon was puzzled. He had actually _called_ this person-thing into existence?

"I don't understand," Garmadon stuttered, watching the man. "I didn't call you by name nor summon you here." The dark lord was having a hard time having a conversation with this man, since he didn't look at Garmadon (or any one thing) for more than a few minutes.

"I don't come if the Token is left untouched; and if my name is not spoken," said the mysterious guest.

"Well, I _did_ touch the Token, but I didn't say any name. Not out loud, anyway. What is your name?" The man turned his gaze upon Garmadon, and there was an age of seconds that passed by.

"I am unknown to many," he said in his empty voice, "but to those who _do_ know me, I am Los." Garmadon started.

"Los?" he muttered. "The letters written on the disk. . ." his voice trailed off. Los nodded.

"Yes, I am Los," he stated, "and I am to do the bidding of those who call me into freedom." Garmadon looked at the man, but Los was not joking. He was to serve the one who called him into freedom; that someone was Garmadon. He smiled, and then started to laugh. The dark lord's laugh filled the room, echoing and spreading throughout the entire fort. His mouth curled into a sinister leer, Garmadon gave his orders.

"Under my order, you have but one task: destroy the Ninja!" He continued laughing. Here, at last, was the destruction of the Ninja. With his brother and his pesky students out of the way, Garmadon's son Lloyd would never complete his training; never become the destined Green Ninja. Garmadon would rule Ninjago, turning it into a twisted place, after his own crooked image. As he laughed, Los bowed down before his new "master".

"Of course, _my lord._"

Garmadon was so preoccupied with his own thoughts and plans that he didn't notice the small smirk that formed on Los' face, nor the faintest sliver of mockery that lay below his response; hidden under fake loyalty.

**Author's Note:**

"**Los" is pronounced "Low-ss", for everyone's convenience.**

**Thanks again for the waiting!**

**God bless and have a great day-after-Thanksgiving!**


	4. Chapter 3: Misunderstood

**PlatyborgstoShadowlytes:**** Alrighty, first of all, I'd like to thank people for patiently waiting. Secondly, I'd like to thank people for all the amazing feedback. I always feel so uplifted when I read the comments that have been posted regarding my writing style and the way the story is going! I really couldn't have asked for any better reviews!**

"GOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nya started back in surprise. Her brother came first. He leaped right over her head and the steering wheel which guided _The Bounty._ Soon to follow was Cole, with Zane and Lloyd competing for third place. Jay was last, but he stopped abruptly before he could rush past Nya.

"H-hi. . .Nya," Jay was trying to talk and take in huge gulps of air at the exact same time. "How. ..how's everything. . .going?" Nya rolled her eyes.

"I'm doing fine, Jay," she said with a sweet voice. "In fact, I couldn't be finer, what with my brother nearly taking my head off and the other Ninja almost kicking me and putting us off-course; in the meantime making enough racket to sound like the entire city of Ninjago was having the nosiest parade ever!" Nya finished the last part with an exceptionally big smile, and she turned back to the wide window before her. Jay scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously.

"He-he. . .yea. Sorry 'bout that." Now it was Nya's turn to giggle.

"What are you guys doing, anyway?"

_(meanwhile)_

Lloyd rushed past Zane. He leapt over Cole and narrowly dodged Kai's outstretched arm. With the pounding of many footsteps on the wooden stairs, Lloyd raced up to the deck. He stopped for a breather, but he knew that it couldn't be long. Already he heard the other Ninja ascending the stairs.

"Stop shoving, Kai!"

"I thought we were supposed to be working as a team, not squashing up against the doorway like this. It is most unreasonable, not to mention unhelpful to our current situation. . ."

"Thanks for the enlightenment, Zane; couldn't have asked for a better time for you to say all of that."

Lloyd looked around the deck; there was his goal. With a small grin he sped towards the mast in the middle of the spacious deck, lifting the brown ball with the white stripes, which tapered at both ends, getting ready to throw it.

"And it's a touchdooooooooooooooo. . ."

Unfortunately for Lloyd, he never got to finish his word, nor did he complete his goal. For just at that precise moment of truth, something swift and white seemed to appear out of nowhere, wrenching the ball from Lloyd's grasp. Lloyd gasped and looked upward as a shadow was cast over him, and a figure garbed all in white sailed over his head. The other Ninja got up to the deck just in time to see Sensei Wu go flying past the mast, landing on the other side with a thud.

"Sensei!" Zane, Kai, Cole, and Lloyd cried in alarm, scrambling to see if their teacher was alright. To their utter surprise, Sensei jumped up, picked up the football, and slammed it hard against the deck.

"And it's a touchdoooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooown!" he exclaimed, jumping around the ball. All the Ninja, except for Zane, sighed and laughed.

"Alright, Sensei," Kai said, "you may have won this round. . ."

". . .again," commented Zane. Kai sighed again, but not from relief.

"Yea, whatever. Anyway, you may have won this time, but next time. . ."

". . .we'll get you for sure bla, bla, bla; yea, yea, yea." Cole finished. Nya came up on deck, followed by a curious Jay.

"So you guys were running around _The Bounty_," Nya said, "And you were playing _football?_"

"I must agree with my students," Sensei suddenly broke in, "They told me that this morning, instead of doing the morning exercises, if they could choose the exercise. It turns out that they made a very good choice." Cole rubbed his sore legs and groaned.

"And what is very soon going to become a choice which we will regret," the Ninja of Earth stated.

"Agreed," moaned Lloyd, shaking his hurting hands. A cawing caught the attention of the Ninja. Looking up, they could see the Falcon circling above the ship. Zane lifted up his arm; a gesture which would usually send the Falcon shooting down towards him like a bullet; only at the last minute to swoop upward gracefully and land on the Nindroid's arm. But now, the robotic bird hovered, as if unsure whether it wanted to land or not. It came down, but it was a slow descent. It kept flapping upwards, then dropping, only to flying up again.

"Hey, Zane," Kai said, tapping Zane on the shoulder. "What's up with your friend?" Zane shook his head.

"I'm not entirely sure," he said, "although he seems to me like he's worried about something."

"Worried about what?" Lloyd asked curiously. Zane shook his head again.

"I'm afraid that I do not know the answer to that question, either." By now the Falcon had landed on Zane's arm, but if kept flapping its wings, as if it were preparing at any moment to take off again. Sensei walked over to bird, and stared intently into its black eyes.

"I am intrigued by this bird's strange behavior," he stated, "just as much as you are." Jay leaned forward.

"Think you could figure out why it's acting this way, then?" Sensei sighed.

"Unfortunately, I'm neither an expert on birds or machinery." Zane scratched the Falcon's black chest, looking at it with concern.

"Maybe it's experiencing a malfunction," Jay put in. "I'd be happy to take a look at it," he offered.

"Thank you, Jay, for the offer, but I don't think that he's malfunctioning. My father. . ." Zane paused a moment before continuing, "My father made both the Falcon, and me, so that way we would hardly have any malfunctions, if we ever even had any to begin with. I feel that there's something more to this, but I don't know what it is." The conversation was suddenly interrupted by Nya's stomach growling. She blushed a little as the others snickered.

"Sorry," she said, "but I can't do any deep thinking on an empty stomach. Who's up for some breakfast?"

"ME!" Cole, Kai, and Lloyd shouted out together.

"Alrighty," Nya said, turning in the direction of the stairs which led below deck, "Come on, then." As Nya, Kai, and Cole began their descent to the dining room, Lloyd faced Zane and Sensei.

"You guys coming?" Zane and Sensei nodded.

"In a moment," Zane answered. Lloyd turned and went down the wooden stairs. Zane sighed as he once more began scratching the Falcon. It was looking at him, and flapping its wings. It opened up its beak and gave several loud, high-pitched calls. Then, with a fluttering of its black wings, the Falcon flew up to the mast; and there it sat, looking down at the two figures on the deck. Zane stared up at it.

"I feel that he is trying to tell me something," Zane almost whispered, "Something important. But I don't know what. I will have to meditate on this."

"I shall as well," Sensei said, putting his arm around Zane. "But come; let's go eat something before your brothers devour it all."

The two left the deck, leaving the Falcon still sitting on the mast. He flapped his wings, then turned his gaze out over the horizon, his eyes continuously resting on a certain spot. Of course, how was the Falcon (or anyone else on the ship) supposed to know that in that certain spot, in that certain direction, was where Garmadon was, at that very moment, preparing to introduce Los to the Serpentine?

**Author's Note:**

**Huh. Nothing really to say.**


	5. Chapter 4: Sensei's Vision

**I know. It's been forever. With the business of my life, and school, and…well…you name it, I don't think that progress will get much faster soon. It's just hard writing fanfics when you're in high school….**

**Thanks for the waiting and patience.**

The Spirit Smoke spiraled slowly upward. Sensei Wu sat down in front of it, and closed his eyes. It was a habit of his to meditate before the smoke daily; it was good to have at least some knowledge about what was going on in the world in Ninjago; either the past, present, or even the future. Opening his eyes again, Sensei saw a vision unfolding before him.

_The first thing he saw were: his students. Never before had Sensei seen a vision which involved them. But here they were now: Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, even Nya was there. They were running, running away from… Sensei gasped. A huge cloud of black rose up behind the ninja. It was chasing them, gaining on them. One by one, the ninja stumbled, tripped, and fell. The darkness overtook them all, and seemed to be heading right for Sensei. He tried to evade the black cloud, but found he couldn't move. Then he was falling, falling down through the darkness. He crashed to the ground and lay still._

_ In front of him he saw another vision. Six lights gleamed in the dark, and there was a seventh, larger one in the center of the ring of lights. However, the blackness around the lights took the form of hands with long fingers, and were grabbing at the lights, trying to overpower them. The lights were extinguished, one by one, and then the darkness fell upon the brightest light with horrific force. Everything was cast into darkness, and Sensei thought that surely the Spirit Smoke had finished. But there was one more vision._

_ Eyes were peering through the dark, and one of the pairs was familiar to Sensei. It was the red eyes of his brother, Garmadon. Garmadon was kneeling; he too seemed to be meditating. A dark form, distinguished from the rest of the darkness around it, and yet, at the same time, one with it as well, towered over his brother. The figure was holding a sword. It turned towards Sensei, and the figure's eyes were empty. Raising its hand (the one without a sword) to its chest, the figure smirked at Sensei, and then opened up his chest. Gears and wires were inside of the figure._

_ "Come save your brother," the figure hissed, its voice taunting._

_ At that moment strange and horrible creatures leapt from the darkness, rushing at Sensei from all sides. With a cry, Sensei fell back, and_

Nothing.

The vision disappeared without being finished. The smoke went out. Everything was still.

The other Ninja were on the deck, training. Cole, being nearest to Sensei's room, heard the crash, and the sudden silence that followed. He raced over to the door, the other Ninja (and Nya) crowding up behind him.

"Sensei?" called Cole anxiously. There was no response.

"Sensei, can you hear us?" Kai shouted from where he stood. Again, nothing.

"I'm gonna break this door down," Cole said. The other four Ninja braced themselves up against the door, and shoved. The door creaked, groaned, and then, with one final effort on the part of the Ninja, the door fell in. Cole slammed down against the floor, with Zane, Kai, Jay, and Lloyd landing on top of him. Lloyd scrambled to his feet, and jumped over to where the still form of Sensei Wu lay.

"Uncle!" he cried, leaning over him. The others hurried over, and Nya departed, saying that she was going to prepare some hot tea for him, if the others could wake him up. After much shaking, tapping, and the cries of "Sensei, wake up Sensei!" over and over again, their teacher finally stirred, gave a soft moan, and opened his eyes.

"Sensei!" the relief was overwhelming.

"What happened to you?" asked Jay. Sensei's face became troubled.

"My brother," he said slowly, "he is in danger." The Ninja stared. Nya pushed through them and handed Sensei Wu the tea she had prepared.

"You mean Lord Garmadon?" asked Cole, a bit unbelievably. Lloyd's eyes widened slightly.

"My father," he whispered. Sensei nodded.

"I had…a vision," he said. "And in the vision," he paused, wondering if he should tell his students about the vision which concerned them, but decided against it; at least, for the time being.

"My brother was in danger," he continued. "I believe that someone, or something, is going to try to kill my brother."

"Who?" came the question simultaneously. Sensei shook his head.

"I'm not exactly sure," he said, "because, before I could see the end of the vision, it was…interrupted." The ninja gasped.

"Interrupted?!" Kai nearly shouted.

"But, that's never happened before in the history of Spirit Smoke!" exclaimed Jay.

"It shouldn't have happened," input Zane.

"Yes," Sensei agreed, "and that is what's troubling me the most. Suppose we, or my brother, are dealing with some enemy who is strong enough even to command the Spirit Smoke?"

A somber silence fell on the group. No one spoke, but they were all thinking intently about what this could mean for them and others in the future.

"Well," Sensei broke the silence. All eyes turned to him. "There's only one thing I can see which we can do at the time being." He paused, his head bowed. He took a sip of tea, then stood up.

"We must go to Ouroboros, and warn my brother."


	6. Chapter 5: Where the True Power Lies

**YEA!**

**More of the story! (does a dance)**

**And I figured out how to spell "Ouroboros"! I'm sooooooooo smart! X)**

_"I have cause to believe that the Ninja are coming." Los was standing on one of the stone stairs which surrounded the huge Slither Pit of Ouroboros. Garmadon was next to him._

_ "In fact," Los continued, "they are coming right for us. However," he said abruptly. Garmadon turned._

_ "What?" the dark lord asked._

_ "They will lie," Los affirmed. "They will say that they were coming here to protect you from danger." Garmadon made a sound that was almost a "humph"_

_ "I don't need their help," he said. "__**They**__ are what cause my dangers." Los kept his eyes focused on the desert beyond the city. He started down the stairs._

_ "And when I capture the Ninja, we destroy them all," he stated, speaking more to himself than to anyone else. Now Garmadon suddenly stood._

_ "No," he commanded, his voice more urgent than usual. Los stopped, and turned, seeming confused._

_ "There is a green-clothed Ninja among them," Garmadon explained. "When you capture the Ninja, you must bring the green Ninja directly to me. Understand?" Los nodded._

_ "If I may be so curious, why would you allow one of your greatest enemies to live?" Garmadon paused._

_ "He is my son," he said. "He must be brought to me unharmed. Do you understand?" Again, Los nodded, bowed and went down the rest of the stairs. He strode across the Slither Pit, in the direction of the entrance gates, and a plan formed in his mind._

* * *

Nya's gaze was locked on the window in front of her (and the wheel in front of her, too). They had entered the desert region of Ninjago about a half-hour or so ago, and they were all watching for any signs of the "lost" (now found) City of Ouroboros. She had hoped that they would have found it by now; however, the desert was vast, and so she wasn't all that surprised when they didn't. Nya would also cast a glance upward, into the sky, from time to time. Zane had sent out the falcon as soon as they had entered the desert, and they (mostly Zane) were waiting for a report from him.

"There!" Nya's excited voice sounded throughout the ship, and the people on the deck: Zane, Cole, Jay, Lloyd, Kai, and Sensei Wu, hurried to see what and where Nya had seen. Kai pointed.

"I see them!" he shouted. It was a group of Serpentine, slithering across the sand. Nya steered the ship towards them.

"If they see us," Cole said, "then wouldn't that encourage them to run _away_ from Aurora Borealis, or whatever it's called?"

"Then again," Zane commented, "if we surprise them, then that might cause them to thrown into a state of confusion, and they might go _towards_ the City of… it's _Ouroboros_, Cole."

"Whatever," Cole muttered. Kai looked around, exasperated.

"Well, I can't think of anything better for us to do than to follow the Serpentine," he stated. "Besides," he reasoned, "if we can capture one of them, I'm sure we could make it tell us where the Lost City of…" Kai decided not to say the name, for fear of confusing it and looking dumb. "…You know," he finished, "the Lost City of the Snakes."

Seeing that the majority vote rested in the option of chasing down the snakes, Nya steered the ship closer to them, then with a hissing of wind, rushed over their heads. The snakes panicked. They ran (or slithered) about, crashing into each other, falling into heaps, and looking very disorderly. After they had managed to get more organized, and had gotten over their first shock, the Serpentine thundered away, screaming phrases such as:

"NINJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAA!"

"RUN AWAY!"

And, loudest of all,

"THEY'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO CAPTURE US ONCE WE'RE SAFELY INSIDE OUROBOROS. COME ON!"

"You gotta hand it to those snakes," Kai said, "They sure have a lot of breath."

"And they're extremely dumb," Lloyd put in with a smirk. The green-clad Ninja was perched on top of the mast, acting as a lookout. A familiar sound, a high-pitched call, was heard above them. Zane looked up, apparent joy and relief on his face.

"Hello, Falcon!" he called. The mechanical bird swooped down, landing gracefully on Zane's outstretched arm. It looked at Zane, and gave several urgent sounding calls.

"What is it, my friend?" Zane asked, walking across the deck. The bird flew from his arm, and landed on the opposite side of the deck. Zane hurried over, and looked out. In the distance (not too far away, actually,) he could see the tall towers of Ouroboros. In fact, they were getting quite close to the entrance of the city. Next to the entrance of Ouroboros, a huge piece of rock protruded from the sand. The top part tapered, and there was something, someone standing on the edge. He was dressed completely in black from what Zane could see, and the Serpentine Generals (and a few other Serpentine, including the ones who had been "running away") were standing near this still figure.

"Hey!" Zane called, motioning to the others. Cole, Jay, Lloyd, Kai, and Sensei Wu went over to the other side of the deck, and followed Zane's gloved hand. "Who, or what, is that?" the white Ninja questioned the others. They all looked at the black figure, and Sensei Wu felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

"We should turn the ship around," he commanded, "We must find another way into Ouroboros. The Serpentine were tricking us. They wanted us to follow them, and lead us right into a trap. They were waiting for us."

* * *

"They're turning back," Skales hissed to Los. "They've dissscovered our trap. We'll never capture them now." Los remained still, his back turned to the Serpentine General. So Skales did not see the small smile that appeared on Los' otherwise emotionless face.

"Watch and learn, snake," he said, his voice contemptuous. Skalidor muttered to Fangdom,

"I don't sssee why he's having usss help him, when Garmadon assigned him, and him alone, to the tasssk of taking care of the Ninja." Los shifted position, and all eyes were locked on him. What would he do, now that the Ninja were turning away, were flying away? Los walked to the very tip of the rock, and paused for what seemed like an eternity to the Serpentine.

* * *

"The winds dying down," Nya called, mostly because she couldn't think of anything else to say. The sails dropped, but they were kept afloat by the engines.

"It's a good thing we have those engines," Jay commented, "or else we wouldn't be going anywhere right now." A low moan, a faint hiss. The Falcon gave a loud shriek.

"Danger!" it seemed to be saying. It flew up, and away from the ship, still shrieking.

"What's wrong?" shouted Zane, as he watched the Falcon fly further away, "What do you sense that's-"

A blast of wind drowned out the rest of Zane's words. The hissing of the wind, much louder now, could be heard all around the ship.

* * *

Los' arms were held up to about their mid-height. His empty eyes were locked on the ship as it was suddenly and severely attacked by the wind. The Serpentine started and looked around. They couldn't feel any wind; it was almost as if it were affecting only the Ninja, and the ship they were on. Keeping one hand outstretched, Los dropped the other, and then raised it quickly. The Serpentine stared as the wind swirled, and shaped a mound out of sand. Los raised his hand slowly, and the tower of sand grew. It was soon tall enough to reach the ship. Los stood a moment, both hands raised, then dropped his one hand again to his side.

* * *

The Ninja and Nya had watched with alarm as the column of sand rose up, up.

"It's…it's falling!" Kai shouted. Nya turned the wheel viciously. The sand tower collapsed, barely missing hitting the side of _The Bounty_. The wind snapped the sails, flung everything that wasn't (and even what was) secured to the deck overboard. The wind was like some wild creature; its intent, to destroy the ship. As the ship turned, groaning as it did so, Sensei was flung back. He broke through the wooden doors which lead to one of the rooms on the ship with a crash.

"Sensei!" Jay had to scream in order to make himself heard.

"Nya!" Kai suddenly realized. He wondered if it would be wise to let go of the side of _The Bounty_, and try to make his way below-decks.

"Lloyd!" Zane's yell was the loudest. Pointing upward, they all stared at Lloyd as he clung to the mast.

"The mast is the weakest part of the ship in a wind like this!" screamed Jay. "He's exposed to the wind. He'll get ripped right off the ship!"

"I have to go see about Nya," Kai said, trying to yell over the wind. "You guys go after Lloyd, and then you can see about Sensei."

* * *

Both of Los' arms were up now. The wind was at its greatest. Sand columns grew and fell. With a shuddering crash that could be heard by the Serpentine, one of the towers of sand struck the side of the boat.

"They've lossst an engine!" exclaimed one of the heads of Fangdom. Los smiled.

"This is too easy," he hissed.

* * *

Cole pushed on Jay, who pushed on Zane, who was inching his way up the mast.

"Take my hand!" the ice ninja called to Lloyd. Lloyd looked uncertain. Zane stretched forwards, doing his best to hold onto the mast.

A crack; a groaning. Zane looked down. A crack, visible even in the sand and wind, was running up the mast. He turned back to Lloyd.

"Come on!" he shouted, his voice frantic. Lloyd reached; their hands locked. And the mast broke.

Kai raced into the main control room of _The Bounty_ just in time to see Nya fall back from the wheel. All the time the storm had been raging, she had been doing her best to retain control over the wheel. However, when the sand tower took out one of the engines of _The Bounty_, it put the steering mechanisms off, and the tremor throughout the ship caused her to loosen her hold on the wheel. Kai leaped forward, grabbing his sister and using himself as a shield. It seemed that things could hardly become worse, when they did. Two things, in fact. One, was that the other engine died. The other, was that the huge window in the control room shattered.

* * *

_Hold on._ Zane was thinking over and over again. _Hold on, and don't lose Lloyd._ The piece of mast which had broken off was being flung to and fro, and it was slowly being chipped and taken apart by the force of the wind. The blasting air was hot, and full of sand. Particles of sand, dust, and wood kept flying about, striking the two where ever they weren't covered.

* * *

Any doubt that the Serpentine had concerning Los and his capabilities was gone; it was replaced with an emotion that could only be described as terror. They watched while the ship of the Ninja was being ripped apart before their eyes, watched while the Ninja were being defeated by wind and sand.

"Wasn't your plan to keep the Ninja alive?" shouted Skales. "At Thisss rate, they won't be!" Los turned; he seemed reluctant to stop.

"Very well," he said. He began to lower his hands.

* * *

"We're not going to make it." This was the first thing Zane heard Lloyd say ever since they were swept away on the mast into the howling storm.

"Yes, we are," Zane said, his voice having more confidence than he actually felt. He looked around. "See?" he said, "The air's clearing up. There are no more sand columns. It's stopping." His eyes widened as he looked ahead of him. They were rushing towards the sandy surface of the desert. They were going slower, true, but not slow enough. Clawing his way forward, Zane managed to get his own body over Lloyd's.

"What are you doing?" questioned Lloyd.

"My duty," Zane replied, right before the impact.

* * *

The wind stopped. _The Bounty_ had slammed into the sand, and the Serpentine felt the tremor of the crash were they stood. Los' hands were at his sides. He turned to the snakes; his face was once again empty.

"Let us go and retrieve the Ninja," he said, starting down the rock, "as Lord Garmadon commanded me."

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry about how long the chapter is. It's one of my favorites, so far.**

**Two things that happen in this chapter are actually connected with me:**

**1. I will sometimes say **_**Aurora Borealis **_**instead of **_**Ouroboros**_

**2. The order that I list the Ninja when they're all on deck is my actually order of Ninja, from favorite (Zane) to least favorite (Kai)**


End file.
